The British government has temporarily withdrawn the dependants of embassy staff from the United Arab Emirates as a precautionary measure, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced on March 9, as the diplomatic footprint of Western nations across the Gulf continues to shrink amid ongoing regional conflict.
The FCDO said its embassies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai continue to operate as normal despite the move, which affects family members of diplomatic personnel stationed in the country, ET learned on March 9.
The decision indicates a notable step down from the United States’ position, which on March 3 ordered non-emergency government employees to leave the UAE entirely and closed its embassy in Abu Dhabi and consulate in Dubai, suspending all routine consular services.
The UAE itself closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrew its entire diplomatic mission earlier in the crisis, following Iranian missile strikes targeting the Gulf state.
The FCDO has advised against all but essential travel to the UAE since late February 2026, following reports of missile activity and the risk of further escalation in the region.
It noted travelling against the advisory will, in most cases, invalidate standard travel insurance policies.
The FCDO had already urged British nationals across Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE to register their presence, in a step typically reserved for major crises such as natural disasters, with officials saying the data would feed into contingency evacuation planning.
The British Embassy in the UAE also activated emergency helplines for nationals requiring urgent consular assistance, acknowledging that some people were experiencing difficulty getting through on UAE phone lines.
The FCDO said in a post on X: “As a precautionary measure, FCDO has decided to temporarily withdraw the dependants of British Embassy staff from the UAE. Our embassies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai continue to operate as normal.”